Finding Rory
by skategod
Summary: My first Gilmore Girls fic, this is my take on how Rory can be made to see the light about dropping out of Yale. : Story begins there but is AU from that point. Story now COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It's the 3rd night of hanging out in the Gilmore pool house after Rory quit Yale, that Logan did it. It was something he never thought he'd do. Well truth be told, that could be said for many things over the past year and half.

 Dating a goody too shoes girl like Rory, something he thought he'd never do;

 Exclusively dating Ace, something he thought he'd never do;

 Loving a woman, something he thought he'd never do.

This one though, this one was the hardest for Logan.

"Ace, I love you with all my heart."

"I love you too Logan." She smiles that smile that kills him.

"I need to break up with you." There he had said it. The hardest sentence he's ever said.

"What? Why? How? Why?" Logan lets go of her hand and stands up.

"Rory it's just not working."

"Bullshit it's been working fine for a year and half, where is this coming from?"

"Rory, I have to think seriously about who I'm with now that I'm getting closer to graduation." Logan tells her softly, this is so hard to do.

"This is your father talking. Logan, don't let him manipulate you. We're great together. You just told me you love me."

"I do Rory but I can't be with you."

"I hate your father; I hate him I'm going to" Logan cuts her off quickly, "Ace it's **my** choice. I chose you against his wishes because you were everything I wasn't. Studious, driven, goal oriented. My father could argue with me all night about what the right type of women for me was & I could argue right back about how great you were. I could list all of your qualities I admired. Rory I have nothing left to argue with."

"So you're breaking up with me because it's not fun to argue with your ass of a father anymore?" Rory asks on the verge of tears.

"No I'm breaking up with you because all the qualities that made me fall in love with you, are gone; your drive, goals and ambition. Without them you just aren't as attractive to me. Good-bye Ace." With that Logan walks out before she will see him cry


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rory sits on her couch, stunned after he leaves. He goes back to campus. He still can't believe he broke up with his Ace. Actually she hadn't been Ace for a while.

For two days Rory did nothing except cry and think. She called no-one; she refused to answer her grandparents on the intercom. On the 3rd day she did the only think that seemed right. She packed her personal belongings into her car and drove back to Stars Hollow.

If she was going to make her life right – it had to start with her mom.She walked up to the door and knocked. Scared, for the first time in her life that Lorelai wouldn't talk to her. Lorelai opens the door shocked to see Rory but even more shocked by the heartbroken look on her kids face.

"I'm sorry mommy, I got so lost."

"It'll be ok kid, come here." Lorelai pulls her into a hug. This has been the hardest week of her life, walking away from her daughter, making her figure out her life on her own. Not something Lorelai was normally known for, she normally stood up to anyone and everyone that dared to treat Rory with anything but the utmost respect. For the next hour they talk but not about what happened. Instead they talk about the lighter things, what happened on their favorite shows, news in Stars Hollow, and then finally Rory opens the door.

"Ok Mom I'm ready now."

"Ok spill kid."

"I've never failed. I've never been second best, I am always liked, people don't think of me as not good enough, and I've always done more than was expected, above reproach. That's why what Mitchum did hurt me so bad. Mitchum showed me you can be great and focused and determined and none of it matters if someone has a grudge or a reason to dislike you. So what's the point, if the person in charge has it out for you, your screwed? What's the point? Why work so hard? Why be so good? Why study so much? Why care if it can be taken away by some overbearing jackass. Drive, ambition, goals, none of it matters."

"So what changed your mind again?" Lorelai asks and is apprehensive about the forthcoming answer.

"Logan broke up with me."

"What? Oh my God Rory are you ok?"

"Remarkably yes I am. I know I'll get him back. Its weird mom but I know that when I get me back, I'll get Logan too." 

"Confidence, I like that in a daughter."

"Logan just told me without my goals and ambition and drive, he doesn't find me attractive. It was just the kick in the teeth I needed I don't find wimpy me attractive either."

Rory finishes the summer off in Rory style. She works at 15 places to get her community service done and out of the way. She petitions the court to expungeit from her record which they agree to, seeing as how she was so diligent to get the hours completed and it was her first offense. Obviously a different judge reads her letter than the one that she stood before in court. Rory enrolls in her junior year at Yale in full journalism mode. Mitchum Huntzberger be damned she was going to be journalist, that was her dream and no one can stop her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

After that night with her mom Rory's life seems to go as back to  
normal as it can. She finishes up her community service. She registers for  
Yale. The day she returns to campus she calls Steph to find out where  
Logan is. Steph wants Logan and Rory back together even though Logan has sworn her to secrecy about his whereabouts, she gives the address to Rory. Rory of course heads  
in that direction with ammunition in hand to get her man back. She knocks none too softly on the door. She's come so far; she truly  
lost sight of who she was when someone in her chosen field told her she  
couldn't be what she had always dreamed of. She also couldn't believe that  
she broke the law. It was really hard for her to realize exactly how far off  
base she was mentally at that point, it took her months of community service  
to realize she's better than all of the drama over the last few months. She  
is strong, heck she's a Gilmore Girl – one of the originals and nothing was  
going to stand in her way of getting what she wants and right now that's her  
boyfriend. She had never thought Logan would walk away from her. Then  
again she had never thought Logan would commit to her either so he was quite  
unpredictable. Rory made a mental note to ask him about how he devised his  
plan. Suddenly Logan opens the door but another girl is in the room with  
him. Rory looks at her and only see's a gold digger.

"I'm sorry sweetie you're going to have to leave now." Rory tells  
the girl while slyly turning her ring around on her left hand so that only  
the band can be seen.

"Why?" She asks indignantly. "Because my husband & I need to be alone and in order for that to  
happen you have to leave." The girl slaps Logan and storms out. "Rory what the hell are you doing here?" Logan demands.

She then takes a deep breath and begins. "It's ACE and don't you forget it." Rory exhales quickly and continues. "You  
said it yourself, you like me focused, determined, ambitious, well here I  
am. I'm enrolled for the semester with a full class load. My community  
service is done and now I've come to reclaim what's mine; you." Rory felt  
so good having stated that. Logan's eyes light up momentarily and then, "And what if I don't want-". He  
doesn't get a chance to end that sentence because Rory is all over it.  
"Yes you do. Logan as much as you said you couldn't be a boyfriend you fell  
into the role perfectly so now it's my turn, Logan I want strings." "Honestly Ace how can we do this? Didn't I hurt you when I broke up with  
you? How can you forgive me for that?" "Yes you did hurt me, and for that I will get to pick the movies for a  
month. Logan, I needed your tough love. I let what your father said reach  
me at the core. Logan" Rory stops talking and simply takes his hand and  
moves with him to sit on the couch. "It time for me to admit this to you, it  
took me a while to figure out exactly why what your father said to me caused  
such a 180 in my personality – come on- me stealing a yacht not exactly the  
Rory Gilmore my mother raised" she stops to smirk "Now toilet papering  
Mitchum's yacht is more up my alley. Anyway back to my point. I  
succeed. That's just the way I am. I excel in fact, when I want something I tend to get it.  
When I have a goal, I accomplish it. When your dad told me I hadn't  
succeeded I didn't like the feeling. I think what was worse though is it  
came from your father. I somewhat hoped, the kind of dreams little girls  
dream, that my boyfriends father would be the father mine never was. The  
two of them combined hit me very hard."

"Rory honey, my father's never been a good dad. Not only has he let down his  
own kids but now you too. I'm sorry." Logan reaches in and kisses her  
gently, to which she wraps her hand into his hair and holds him close so she  
deepens the kiss."Ace I don't just want strings."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Logan tells her after the kiss, he's hooked on her, he can't truly ever walk  
away but he's not sure if she understands that yet.

"What?" Rory opens her eyes wide scared this plan to get him back didn't work."Strings are too easily cut. I want something stronger.""Like what Logan?"

Logan gets up and wanders around the apartment. He picks up a shoe, "I  
could use the laces to tie us together but that's just more strings,  
stronger ones mind you but not quite what I want." He then puts the shoe  
back down and continues to wander.

Rory laughs thinking that Logan is just trying to make her smile.

Logan walks over to his dresser and opens the top drawer, he laughs to  
himself before he takes out what's inside, and he can't wait to see Ace's  
face on this one. He slowly removes a pair of handcuffs, a prop from one of  
the many parties that have been thrown. He turns and winks at Rory seeing  
her face turn 50 shades of red before he drops them and picks up something  
else from the drawer and returns to Rory with it.

Logan kneels in front of her. "Ace I may have been acting silly but I  
honestly want a whole lot more than strings Ace, I love you, you took a  
chance on me when we became a couple, I had no experience at being a  
boyfriend and that showed when I screwed up quite a few times, each time you  
loved me enough to forgive me and take me back. When you needed someone to  
love you when you dropped out of Yale I did the only thing I knew that would  
get you to wake up and think straight, I pulled what you do – I played  
hardball and I ran. I know you Ace, I know you so well and I relied on that.  
I believed I knew you well enough to know that you wouldn't and couldn't let  
your whole world fall apart, when the chips were down, you lost school, your  
career, your mom and your lover. Thank GOD it worked; it did what I wanted  
and was just the last nail in the wall that made you grab a hold of what is  
your life and demand it back. Ace that is the last time I ever walk away,  
for any reason. I love you, you jump I jump Ace. Will you take the biggest  
leap of faith with me. Rory Gilmore, will you be my wife?"

_ A/N: I know its short but I can't decide just what I want Rory to say…  
_


	5. Chapter 5

a/n : Ammie thank you so much for being my beta, for the reviewers- thank you for any constructive feedback you gave – I've started a new fic about Mitchum/Shira and Logan's Destiny – its going to be called Logan's Destiny – look for it Ch 1 should be posted soon.

Chapter 5

… will you be my wife?...

Rory wanted so much to make a pro/con list right then, but realized that would be cruel leaving Logan on his knee for that long.

"Yes Logan I'll be your wife." Logan opens the ring box & Rory is absolutely stunned. The ring is perfect. She tells him as much. "Logan its everything I've dreamed of" Rory looks at her white gold Cartier C diamond ring. The profile of this setting, notched in the shape of a Cartier C, is its unique feature, demonstrating the craftsmanship of a truly expert jeweler.

"I'm glad you like it. I have another one for you too." Logan smiles sheepishly.

"Logan honey, women in America only tend to wear one engagement ring. That's all I want or need."

Logan kisses her for being so sweet and un-materialistic.

"I know Ace I wouldn't even give you this one if it wasn't Huntzberger tradition. This is the family engagement ring, ostentatious and all but it's the ring every Huntzberger heir has given to his would be wife for 6 generations." He hands her the gaudy bauble knowing she'd never willingly wear it. "It only has to be on your hand for a few society events before the wedding then after that it can go in the safe for us to give to our kid." Logan is still nervous that she accepted and he doesn't want to do anything to make her change her mind. This has been one rocky relationship with all the missteps and mishaps from both of them.

"Logan it's huge!" Rory exclaims.

This pulls Logan out of his thought process rather abruptly and he laughs. "Ok that's normally something a guy would like to hear."

"Dirty" Rory smiles.

"Ace I love you." Logan pulls her into his arms for a kiss. His mouth demanded entrance to hers so he could show her his love and need for her in his life.

"I love you too Logan." Rory smiles and kisses him again.

"Why are you scared now? You've already asked me and I already said yes."

"Because I messed it up – I didn't ask your mom, it wasn't ultra romantic, I'm sorry Ace I messed up our engagement."

"Stop it, no you didn't. It was spontaneous like many things are with you. Why now? Why tonight? Because I came back?" She asks cuddled into his arms.

"That's exactly why. You came back. MY ACE came back. You found you and that's all I ever wanted. When you dropped out of Yale, my fear was it was my fault. I somehow rubbed off on you and made you not care about your future because I had no concern for my own. That made my blood turn cold, but then I realized that isn't what happened, because if it was that means you could have rubbed off on me, making me want to be a journalist. I took a quick inventory of my own mind and realized that hadn't happened so something else must have made you do a 180. The more I thought about what had gone wrong the easier it was for me to see that you were picking up my bad habits. Sleeping in late, drinking regularly, not caring about tomorrow, all of those things are me – not you. So I took myself out of the equation, hoping that if I did you would get mad enough at me to fight, or that you would hit rock bottom with everything being gone and fight, either way I figured you would come out of this the beautiful, intelligent driven woman I fell in love with. I'm glad you found Rory."

With that Logan kisses his fiancé

Platinum 950‰ ring, brilliant-cut diamond.

Caratage available: from 0.50 to 4.99 cts.

Ref. N4186500

Rory's Ring

Fin


End file.
